She worked for 5 years at Priest Elementary (Las Vegas, NV): 1st Grade & Pre-K

She loves working with a great team of teachers in order to make the school and students as successful as they can be.

Mills, Jennifer

Family and Community Engagement Coordinator

Academy StaffAdministration Team

Mrs. Mills was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas. She attended Clifton J. Ozen Magnet High School where her love for music and children was cultivated. After graduating from Ozen, she attended Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Adolescent to Young Adult Education. After Central State, she attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio to pursue a Master’s in Curriculum and Teacher Education. Miami is where her passion for advocating for families was sparked. Mrs. Mills earned her Master’s degree in 2011, then immediately began working on her doctorate in Educational Leadership at Miami. This is Mrs. Mills’ first year working in the education field although she has studied it for many years. This is her first year at DLA, and she is extremely proud to work for a school that truly values the families they serve. Mrs. Mills is incredibly happy to be working with and for families at DLA!

Mitchner-Asinjo, Tess

Principal, Teacher Leadership

Academy StaffAdministration Team

Mrs. Asinjo was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Mount Holyoke College, teaching certificate from San Francisco State University, and Master’s degree in School Leadership from DePaul University.

Mrs. Asinjo started in education with Teach For America and taught second and third grades in East Palo Alto, CA and Chicago, IL. As a Teach For America Program Director, Mrs. Asinjo coached over 200 teachers in Chicago. In 2006 she became the Founding Principal of East Chicago Lighthouse Charter School in Northwest Indiana. She expanded the school from 110 to 300 students and lead the school to be recognized by the Indiana DOE for the third highest growth (59.5% growth) on NWEA Mathematics out of all schools in the state.

From there, Mrs. Asinjo joined the national team of Lighthouse Academies as the Director of Recruitment and Selection and then served as the Senior Vice President of the Research, Design, and Strategy Team. In that role, she trained and developed school leaders, conducted school quality reviews, and served as an internal consultant for 17 schools in 7 states.

Mrs. Asinjo joined DLA in 2015 and is enjoying being back in a school setting. She is passionate about teacher effectiveness and providing an excellent education for DLA students. Mrs. Asinjo and her husband have two children who keep them very active and entertained. When she has time, she likes cooking, hiking, playing tennis, reading novels, and travelling.

Wright, Eric

Dean of Students

Academy StaffAdministration Team

Mr. Wright is a native of Lima, Ohio. He graduated from Lima Central Catholic High School and went on to study Sociology at OSU Lima Tech. Mr. Wright is certified in marriage & relationship education, Rites of Passage program implementation and training, Say It Straight communication training, and specializes in at-risk youth. He is skilled in mentoring, counseling and life skills. He understands the daily struggles and challenges young people face and provides guidance and leadership to develop future leaders. He is also actively engaged with the community in order to provide services available to DLA families. In 2006, he was voted as one of the city’s Top 10 African American Males for his work with youth in the Dayton community.

Mr. Wright joined DLA in 2003 as a Truancy Officer, where he passionately and effectively guided students to do their best. He joined DLA because it gave him the opportunity to work with students and families to help them realize the importance of education. He also brought his coaching skills and background and serves as the 8th grade basketball coach. The thing he likes most about DLA is the student and parent support that the school provides to DLA families. He enjoys being part of such a dedicated team of individuals who care about the students and the community. His favorite past-time is crappie fishing, but he also enjoys playing and watching sports.

Yerman, Becky

Assistant Principal

Administration Team

Ms. Yerman joined the DLA team in 2016 as the Assistant Principal of Student Services. Prior to working at DLA, Ms. Yerman was the Associate Director in the Office of Exceptional Children in Dayton Public Schools and was the Director of Special Education at DC Prep, a public charter school in Washington, D.C. Ms. Yerman taught elementary school and special education for eight years in Phoenix, Arizona and in Washington, D.C. Ms. Yerman earned her bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Dayton, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Wright State University.